The Sun. — London, England, 1838-08-05 00:00:00

OF THE DUKE OF WE LIN GTO N. Arthur, Duke of Wellington, the third son of the late Earl of Mornington, was born on the Ist of May, 1769. He was destined at an early period of his life to enter the army ; and there being at that time no military school in Eng land, he was sent to Angers, in France, for his military education. Our ancient rivals may, per haps, find some consolation in this circumstance, believing that they planted the germs of his military skill, and that they only could have ta ught the D u k e h ow to conquer them. The arrow, it has been said, must be tipped with the feathe r from the eagle's wing to reach the eagle's heart. Arthur Wellesley received his Ensigncy in 178 7, and was speedily promoted to be Major and Lieut.- Colonel of the 33d. In the com mand of this regiment he made a part of the campaign in Holland in 179, when the Duke 'of 'York commanded our army; and was actively ''employed i n protect i ng t h e disastrous but ne cessary retreat into and from Holland. His exertions merited the approbation of ',General Dundas, an officer of great ability ; and from that period his military reputation inces 'santly and uninterruptedly augmented, till be , became the most renowned warrior in the world. 'He saw in this campaign that the discipline of "she army was bad ; the spirit of the men not `the best ; the operations were distracted by con 'flicting councils, and were carried on in the 'midst of a pseudo-friendly, but hostile popula tion. At that early period he witnessed, in their 'worst form, all those vices in.the organization of -our army against wnicb, though in a diminished form, he had afterwards to struggle, and all those difficulties of divided command which it Vas his great merit in Spain to surmount. As soon after his return to England as his regiment was ready for service, be was ordered 'to the West Indies ; but the expedition meeting "with some unexpected obstacles, the services of `his regiment were transferred, at the request of 'Lis brother the Marquis Wellesley, then Earl of Mornington, and recently appointed Geyer 'nor-General of India, to the East. He went to Indi a in the month of Qpril, 1796, and it was uotieed on the voyage that when he had leisure le closely studied the theory of the art he was to soon about to practise. He remained in India for eight years, and had seve ral opportunities of adding to his reputation. Limited as the space is which we can occupy by !Ilia sket c h of an illustrious man, whose public life extends over a period of fifty-one years of incessant activity, we cannot even enumerate all the great actions in which he has been con cerned, much less describe them. We are corn- Pelled to confine ourselves to stating that his assistance at the capture of Seringapatam was onsidered mostvaluable, and his march against D hoomdias, the battles of Assay - e, and of ,Argaurn, in w hi c h h e was victor i ous, are amongst .the most b r illi ant achievements known in that and of military prodigies. The former battle, though perhaps not more Important, was more brilliant than the latter. A splendid success achieved with small means tenlc captive th e i mag i nat i on ; an d t h e inhabi ts of Calcutta presented him with a sword, atd erect e d a monument in honour of his victory. armywas a still more fl attering homage that the who witnessed his exertions, and knew that skill and daring, not chance, wou the day, presented to him a full service of silver plate, 'lncl uding a splendid candelabrum for the middle 'of the table, with the word " Assaye," upon n . v erY Plate, dish, and other part of the service, token of their attachment and admiration. or was the achi evemen t l es s highly prized at Par liament, It w as t h oug h t wort h y o f th e th an k s o f a-arnament, the " noblest assembly of free men ' t ow in existence." He also received the Order of the Bath, and was thenceforward Sir Arthur. gained and deserved, however, at the e arns time, a more honourable reputation even than that of the warrior. He devoted much of his time, as Governor of Seringapatam, and as Com man d er o f an arm y, to civil duties. His memoir on the coinage of the Mysore is said to show both research and sagacity, while the wise and temperate manner in which he ad rainistered the conquered city won for him the ' c 'onfidence and the attachment of the people. T hey addressed him on parting as a father ; lne y implored the God of all Castes and of all liasion a to hear their constant prayers; and to bestow on him health, glory, and happiness ; and t hey regretted i n hi m t h e l oss o f a j ust ja!dge. He was d i stinguished too by his ensuredcbplomacy, and his nego t i a ti o ns with S e i n di a m the peace which his bravery had com anded. Nor were his exertions unrewarded by more substantial favours than the heartfelt prayers of the people. He went out to India a Li eutenant-Colonel—he returned in 1805, at the age of 36, Sir Arthur Wellesley and a M ajor -General, with an accumulated fortune of 43,000 i. It is encouraging to find, both as a testimony to the goodness of individuals, and the co urse o f nature, that these conspicuous honours were the results of conspicuous virtues. ~ Immediately after the arrival of Sir Arthur Wellesley from India, he had an interview at Rath with Mr. Pitt, who afterwards declared, " that he had received more satisfactory infor mation, and more useful suggestions from Sir Arthur Wellesley, than from any one he had ever conversed with ; and that if he lived to r z a nt to busi ness ( w hi c h h e did no t) h e a a ld certainl y c h ange muc h o f hi s system. " proves that the profound workings of Sir Arthur's mind were not confined to military matters. b m S oon afterwards, he proceeded in the com s of a brigade to Hanover; but the fatal ;tattle of Austerlitz intervened, and the whole ia l cM,Y, under Earl Cathcart, returned to Eng ra_lU,: Then despairing probably of any im mate military employment—for the military reputation of England, and her military power, fanged wholly overshadowed by the gigantic A rne an d gigantic exertions of Napoleon—Sir herthur Wellesley entered Parliament as Mem 18vn..for Newport, in the Isle of Wight, and in t u e accepted the civil office of Chief Secre ary of Ireland. He stipulated, however, that appointment should not exclude him from !_ecepeting military service; accordingly he pro ef!l d, in the same year, on the expedition the Copenhage n as a Major-General, under e command of E ar l C at h car t, an d con ti nue d to hold at th e same time his of fi ce of Chi e f , ee retary of Ireland. He was appointed by ;1):;!r1 Cathcart to command the troops in the .. 1,1 , the bulk of the army sitting down to born- Z 4 rd Cop en h agen, and his division had a sue lssful encounter with the Danish army at p e ge. His services on that occasion were ro minent, and were particularly remembered “I the vote of thanks by Parliament. Again t reill uing his diplomatic habits he, in conjunc -2,?n wit Sir H. Popham and Coonel Murra, al ter the battle, settled the terms on which the J anisl l fl eet a n d arsenal were surrendered. 1 ) I n 1808 when the outrage committed_ by "" 40 nap ar t e on the Royal Family of Spain had caused a complete rising of the people through out the Peninsula to throw off his power, Sir Arthur Wellesley proceeded in the comman_ t of a division of 9,000 troops to Portugal. I N%'ould appear as if a milita r y e ff or t, wor th y o f t he old reputation of England, was then to be I : a de ; but t h e want o f a Chatham in our civil - ,, Qun cils, and o f a C arno t at t h e h ea d o f our -"mos, rendered the design in the first instance drivelling and abortive. The means of the oeuntry were wasted in driblet?, and the sepa rate divisions hovered and voyaged between (a diz and Corurina, without plan or design. h i l t ,, , 1 !?, % " 1 h Sir Arthur Wellesley,landed with L envision near Figueras, in Portugal ; and, k t -!. l ."gb he was soon doubly superseded by . ,r Ilan y I3urrard and Sir' Hew Dalrymple, 's activity aced a victory in his hand s, and marked him pl out from that time as the Chief OlF n s ; worthy .to command the brave troops of g l and• On August olst was fought the • - , 4 " 1 (; of Vindera, when the troops under Sir :,,rtlitr gained a victory over the French army, tio,mnianded in chief by Marshal Junot. Al r°"gh :Sir Harry Burrard. had arr i ve d to su (rstqle ' Si r A rthur 'Wellesley, on the day ~) , :f o re th e b attle of Vimiera, the conduct of '"?t battle was left in the hands of Sir A. thur • <llesley ;' and after the French were route d and Si . runni n t g away, an AAi de-Camp came up i ,' , :4 r ' Arthur to inf orm hi m, that " General Fer gusson's brigade was formed and ready to 'eeeive his. orders." On receiving this mes "ge, Sir. Arthur. said to the :Aid-de -Camp, " Take .voui d from Sir Harry Burrard ;" but . or ers 110 pursuit of the enemy was ordered, and t l , le Y went b ac k unmolested to their quarters at ml eß Ved ras , althotfll a road: that spot ''` l ' , otien to our t roo p s , f our miles shorter 1 "In that • which was ta k en , b y the French. that baftle•Wai'shortlY after Wards followed by the Convention of Cintra, by which the French evacuated Portugal, and placed the resources of that country in the hands of a Government 411.1,4 d to Britain.• At that period the Con. veroion was much condemned; but whatever might have been its demerits, they are not fairly chargeable upon Sir Arthur Wellesley; for he wag precluded by the arrival of the other Ge nerals from exercising the control ovthese aff airs, as w e ll as from following up the y victory e~-----~ THE SUN, LONDON, SUNDAY , AUGUST 5, 1838, fOonattr • _-------- ~,. • r _.-.- -- --- -.------- -, -."----,-:----:, ;• - • -- -- ,- j - 7-__, .••-;-- --=--, ,-- -.-..--..,-----_,. --- - 7. -- 7- -. ... _,--------_---,. ,----- V- _ , --•<:' ' ~,__,..._._-. •.... < Z'-----'-- - , —...\___________ . _____ ...__ - -- : =___,...........,,......0.......... 2- 7 -1-----= - --_____ , _-_—_- _.--;=-f_ . -_,_-._ .-__--__.- ~ L .-„ , ...„.• --- .,..,, ',_-_-_-- ---- 7 - V, _-_--------.# __ _,-_--..---_•---, IL----_, I - - .E. _---_,-- ___:: • gi.. .---_,_____., .-_-______-,.. , -__. _...__- , --,- _-....._.------- ------ .....- , .._- --- ---_-_----o^ - __ - -*-=7 - - , ---__ ------------------ ------- ----------:____--------"----- --- ''' ,_,/'1 - _.......--,- • __-_- ---_-_______ _l7 - _______,.. ----------_,, ...--,------- \ ' 4- ix_ ------‘, ~- (---%-,-----------'---- __."--._/- -' --. - ---- - 7--- - --------- -- - - _ . ... -- --7___ ____------....-----------___ __,,_..---- - _-___, --- ---,_____,_ ,L ---..„ „. __,---...,.... \.. __„,.. ,_ ----.;-_---. , - •--_ _ ____--s---..----,--------------_-___________—_,--_,-.,_7_-_----„____ •., _ -_- , _.:-- -7 -0 -. .. ,-.._ „,.._ - • --,_-: _,.. ________-„ .___..._ —-- - - --•---'--- --- -- - - --- '''---- ---_---L-4 -- --- - _...,__. .. . .- • --_,._•-• ,_-,, --------------- 2Ti ___________ ~ - -._ _-- - -- ---- ___---,--_-_------------- .--. 4: • • p ,---- --, ---- - -.7" -- - „, „...." : ___---- I _,--_, - -.__, --------__ , _ --_- -----_-___.---...--_--_--,_._.. _____ ___________________ , - -----------_ ,—,---- ____ _..... , ,---_ - ____--.,_..., --- - —--7.7.-_,---,--. _____ --_,------____-------------- ',-;----------, ----. ,-_----------------- -------_-- ,-------------=---- ------__--------------- —___,—, -_—__-_-_ ----------- -----,--------------:--_______,-,------ --- ...,---,----,---,,___ —--- - - - --- - - ------- --- - ---- —------=- - -' - - - ------ -- - - - .. -- „. ---''', I _------- - ' ---- _ ----- 4- ----------- ______.-- --- _-___- --- -- ------------------- ----------- ------- -- 7.----7-- -------__------------,-- , ~__________.--_-,,:-. ------''':-:-'-'''-- -- -------------- ----- ----- --------------------------- --- --------- _________________ :z -- ----1----- '- ------- -- ----- 's -- -----„,-.- ,- _ -..' c s.. -= ` - -----_---=----,---------?; 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J he had gained. That there was a deficiency of cavalry in the army is undeniable, but it seems to have been the opinion of most of the competent judges, that the French might have been pursued with ad vantage at the close of the battle of Vimiera, when a positive veto, independently of Sir Arthur Wellesley was put upon that proceed ing. However it might have been the opinion of Sir Arthur Wel lesley at that time, that under the circumstances—his victory not having been followed, and the French having retained their posi tion at Torres Vedras, it was prudent to gain that advantage by negociation which could not be commanded by the sword. It must not be assumed that Sir Arthur concurred in the details of that nego ciation and in the consequent Convention, for it is notorious that the Convention was drawn up and settled without appeal to his judg ment; and when he was called in to put his signature to it; he did so, and immediately passed the instrument across the table towards his superior officer, who, upon this occurrence, said to Sir Arthur, " Have you read the document ?" To which he replied, " I have, and a most extraordinary document I think it is ?" If it be said, why then did Sir Arthur sign it ? Let those who ask that question consider, whether, under the extraordinary supersession of Sir Arthur 'Wel lesley by Sir Harry Burrard on one day, and of Sir Harry Burrard by Sir Hew Dalrymple on the next day—both equally setting aside the commander in whom the troops had, even at that early period, by far the stronger confidence, the discipline and subordina tion of the army would not have been greatly endangered, if there had been any appearance of disagreement or collision between Sir Arthur Wellesley and those other Generals. Here then appears to have bean a remarkable instance of cautious discretion, self-command, and devotedness to the interests. of, his country in this great and distinguished man. Leaving these facts and considerations, how ever, to speak for themselves, we 'must observe that the Conven tion produced great dissatisfaction in the public mind, while the victory gave a great stimulus to hope, for it had been obtained by English soldiers exclusively over the arrayed legions of Bonaparte. The spell was from that moment broken which had bound the mind and arm of Europe, and Bonaparte was made to feel that he must recover the Peninsula and chase away the English, or fight for his own throne. Sir Arthur Wellesley was ordered home to attend the inves tigation on the Convention of Cintra, and Sir John Moore pro ceeded from Lisbon, on October 26, 1808, on that fatal expe dition into ' Spain which' ended by the remains of the English force embarking at Corunna, after the death of that gallant Officer. . Probably Sir Arthur regretted that he was not a sharer in that campaign; but Providence reserved for him an undeviat ing career of success, an d we may t h an k t h e C onven ti o n of Cintra for preventing Sir Arthur from being a sharer in the unfortunate expedition, under the able and gallant Sir John Moore, for relie v i ng hi m f rom the fetters o f authority, • which, had he con tinued subject to, must have cramped and neutralised the exer cise of his energies and his talents. How far he would have been obnoxious to the jealousy, envy, and malignity of those above him i n command, and to what degree the pulic service might have suffered from undue control, had the investigation on the Con vention of Cintra not oocurred, may, in some degree, be estimated by the following extraordinary fact; namely, that on the arrival of one of Sir Arthur , Wellesley's superior officers, in Portugal, he, as was hi; duty, immediately laid before that officer an explanation of the relative positions of the two armies, stating that it had b een his intention to attack the French at day - break on the following morning, and submitting that he still considered it desirable that the attack should be made ; a peremptory veto, however, was p ut upon the propcsed attack, by authority which it would not havek become him to resist ; and Sir Arthur, after a short interval, took his leave. Scarcely had he quitted the presence of the exclaimedunder whose o mandate t;tl Captain s attackor the Britishwas was thatas p:oe.ffis.ecre.t,r; " D—n that fellow ; I think I have put a spoke in his wheelt's'ini These word needs no comment, they show at once the patriositc.. wisdom, and justice, which dictated them, and are more than tn o ,, cient to shield the fame of Sir Arthur Wellesley from all share e t responsibility for any errors committed in the operations o . t . !" army, or of its supreme Commanders, between the time of his first supersession, and the recal of himself and others to investigation into the Convention of Cintra. Many of th e friends , of Sir Arthur we r e o f o pi n i on th a t he ought; and they s tron g l y urged him, to bri ng thi s ex t raor di nar y ac t t o light before the Board of Officers at Chelsea, appointed to try the merits of the Cintra w hom the question, but he decli n ed, a lth oug h th e. Naval officer to above exclamation h a d b een ma d e , remained a week or more in Lon don, on leave of abs ence f rom t h e B oar d o f Ad m i ra lty, for the ex of Inquiry' press purpose of givi ng ev id ence b e f ore t h e Court at tend the this effect. When we cons id er h ow l arge a s h are • of bam:Y :o s, at the time, cast upon Sir Arthur for his supposed participation in all that related to the Convention of Cintra,' how deeply his in terests through life were likely to be affected by such imputations, however unfounded, and that it was imossible for bins t o know, at that time, that he w ou ld ever have], an' o ortunity of r isin g above those disadvantages, it i s diffi cu l t to imagi n e any moti ve for his conduct, which does not reflect the, highest honour on his for bearance,' his magnanimity, and his paramount regard for the public interests, which might have been severely injured by an open avowal of all these exculpatory matters. Till he returned to Lisbon after the Convention of Cintra, through the period of his absence at Copenhagen and in Portugal the first time, Sir Arthur Wellesley continued to hold the situation of Chief Secretary for Ir e l an d. S uch an unexample d c i rcu mstance led to inquiries in the House of Commons ; and Sir Arthur stated that he continued to hold the office at the 'express desire of the Duke of Richmond. On his return both from Copenhagen and Lisbon he resumed hi; duties, and took no inactive part, as Secretary for Ireland, in the business of the House of Commons in 1809. At the same time it must be remarked, as the only instance we know of his receiving any portion of the public money with the least appearance of impropriety, that he' continued to receive the salary of the office during his absence, but he justly alleged that hOldinig the office he .. was obliged to be a t t h e expense of keeping up t h e whole establishment. He was certainly neither an idle nor an inefficient Chief Secretary, when in England; and the Dublin police, with some other useful establishments, attest his activity and discernment. In the spring of 1809 Sir Arthur returned to Lisbon and as sumed the chief command of the British troops, never afterwards to lay it down, and never again to quit the Peninsula, till he entered France at the head of his victorious troops, and saw the signatures to the general peace appended at Paris. There now intervened five arduous but glori ous years. Greatly assisted during the first by the enthusiasm of the Spaniards, who harrassed and occupied the French armies, rather than by the' skill of the Spanish Generals, who Here vain, ignorant, and obstinate, Sir Arthur was enabled to act on the offensive, and setting out from Lisbon for the north, he assailed and defeated Marshal Soult at Oporto, and then turned to the south and assailed and defeated Marshal Victor at Talavera. The latter was a hard fought and bloody field; and nobly did Sir Arthur deserve the title of Viscount Wellington, the thanks of Parliament, and the pension which were then accorded him. The defeat of the English under Sir John Moore in the north of Spain at the beginning of the year was amply reve n g ed b y the triumph s o f Wellington before its close. At the commencement of 1810, however, Buonaparte, by his alliance with Austria and the German States , be in g com p letel y secure in th at quarter, was qu i te a t liberty, till the contest with Russia b egan i n 1811 and 1812, to b en d a ll his efforts' to subdue the Spaniards, an d d r i ve th e English from the Peninsula. s, Ac cordingly, Marshal Massena, at the head of 70,000 well-a ppointed troop entered Portugal in June, 1810 . Then be g an on the part of the Duke of Wellington, who had previously fortified the lines of Torres Vedras, forming, with the British troops to defend them, an impassable rampart, those cautious and Fabian tactics, which proved that the impetuous victor of Assaye, and the rapid military upards of five v e genius. assailant of S ou l t an d Vi c t or , could, when his art demanded it, be as phleg mat i c and reso l ute as a Dutchman, determined to die in his last ditch. If Lord Wellington g ained immense ho nour by his offensi ve operat i ons i n 1809, his defensive tactics in 1810-11 were, in th e op i n i on o f goo d judges, a still higher proof of his was completely b a ffl e d , an d a ft er occupying a strong position in front of Lo r d W e lli ngton ' s entrenc h men ts, unable to penetrate them, f or months, Massena Massena, with hi s mi g h ty force, Massena finally broke up, and retreated in T the be g i nn i ng o f M arc h , 1811. Thus was Portugal defend e d b y British arms ; and from the mountains of Torres Vedras sallied forth those bands of veterans which soon afterwards drove the French out of Spain. In 1811 it was again Lord Wellington's turn to become the assailant. Though his means, compared to the immense power of England, were unworthy of her, and though he was feebly sup ported by the Spaniards and Portuguese, his commanding skill and undaunted spirit overcame all obstacles. We cannot, how ever, follow him in his brilliant career ; alternately opposed to Marshals Massena, Soult, Marmont, and Victor, and alternately triumphing over them all. We can do no more than natice that in 1811 and in 1812, he captured, after long and severe sieges. Almeida, Cuidad Rodrigo, and Badajos ; that he gained a corn. plete victory at Salamanca; while his Generals, under his direc tions, were successful in a great multitude of lesser battles. In 1813 he took the field with increased advantages. Ile defeated the French at Vittoria, encamped on the Pyrenees, and caused his old antagonist, Marshal Soult, to be sent expressly from Ger many to oppose him. Lord Wellington then carried St. Sebastian by storm, compelled Pampeluna to surrender, and crossed into France. The winter suspended operations, though in the midst of its intense severity both parties again took the field, and General (now Lord) Hill obtained a brilliant victory at Bayonne, on De cember 12. Till February after this both armies remained in their cantonments. Then they were put in motion, and the battles of Orthez and of Toulouse finally closed the murderous but successful comblts, which, on the side of Spain aiding the successes of the Allies on the side of Germany, compelled Buonaparte to resign the throne and take refuge in Elb a , an d esta bli s h ed the short peace of 1814. The rewards which the nation usually bestows followed the victories of Viscount Wellington. He had been created successively in 1812 Earl and Marquis, and in 1814 Duke of Wellington ; and successively be had annuities of one, four, two, and thirteen thousand, or a round sum of four hundred thousand pounds con ferred on him, while it was intended that • the nation should establish another Blenheim, to transmit the memory of his deeds and its gratitude to the latest posterity. ,He had been succes sively raised to the rank of Lieutenant-General, Full General, and Field Marshal, uniting in his own person the highest civil and military rank which it was in the power of the Crown to bestow. Spain had raised him to a Grandee of the first class; he was a Captain-G enera l o f h er arm i es an d Duke of Ciudad Rodrigo. In Portugal he had been created Duke of Vittoria, Marquis of Torres Vedras, and Count of Vimiera. He was also Marshal General of her armies. Loaded with all these honours, he returned to England in June 1814, after an absence of five years. On June 28th, he took his seat in the House of Lords for the first time ; and his various patents of creation were all then read. ' He bad left -- England a Commoner-ho returned equal or superior to all but the very highest in the land. Great as must have been his triumph and his pleasure on that day, yet there was one person d w o wit nessed his reception, ' whose pleasure, wholly unalloy t e n proba bly surpassed his own. His mother, Lady Morni d n u g u o d , heard to the her son's patents of nobility read, and saw him introduced There was Peers by the Dukes of Beaufort and Richmond. another lady also present who should have been equally delighted ; but it is understood, though she shared his like blighted and honours, that the Duchess of Wellington mourned oversomething neglected affecti on . She was the third daughter of the Earl of Longford, and m arr ied to the Duke _i in t;. The story runs that they were mutually attached in early but from prudential motives postponed their union, till a long absence had killed affec . Ort Ora lx tion, or made it twine itself around sow. , other object. Pledges given, however. were to be redeemed; and honour, it is said. instead of love, led to a union, which that deity accordingly, whose rights were invaded, never cordially blessed. The honours and rewards which the Crown could bestow were followed by public demonstra tions of gratitude. The two Houses of Parlia ment solemnly voted him their thanks, for, as the Lord Chancellor expressed it, his eminent and important services performed to his Sove.: reign and his country. The Commons sent a deputation to congratulate him on his return, and to convey to him the thanks of the House. His Grace expressed a desire to return his ac knowledgments in person, and the Ist of July was fixed for the ceremony. The Speaker was in his official robes, and the House was crowded with Members, many of them in uniforms and many of them in Court-dresses, as they been to Carlton House with an Address to the Regent. Lord Castlereagh announced the Duke, who was immediately admitted, and the whole House rose on his entrance. A chair was placed on the left-hand side of the bar, to wards the centre of the House, in which the Duke sat down for a few minutes. Then, rising, he returned his thanks to the Commons in a very neat and concise speech, saying, amongst other things—" I was anxious to at tend the House, in order to return my thanks in person for the honour they have done me; and after they have filled up the measure of their favours, by conferring upon me at the recom. mendation of the Prince Regent, the noblest gift that any subject has ever received." Loud cheers followed the Duke's speech, and the Speaker, then Mr. Abbott, made to him an ad mirable address. He spoke of the " grandeur of the Duke's military success, and of the ge. nerous and lofty spirit which had inspired his troops with unbounded confidence, and taught them to know that the day of battle was always a day of victory." Loud and repeated were tlie cheers which echoed the well expressed and noble sentiments of the Speaker. All possible honours were paid to the Duke as he retired. In moving that the Duke's address and tho Speaker's answer berecorded in the votes of the House, Lord Castlereagh spoke of that as " a proud and a grateful day, which would ever shed lustre on the annals of the House of Commons." The city of London also gave him a mag• nificent entertainment, and presented him its freedom in a gold box together with a splendid sword. On all occasions of appearing in public, his reception was enthusiastic, and he was the object of a round of splendid festivities. He did not, however, remain at home long to enjoy them. He had returned to England on June 20th, after an absence of five years; he left it again on August Bth. Preferring an active though a civil office to inactivity, he had accepted the situation of Ambassador Extraordinary to the Court of France, and on the 24th of August delivered his creden. tials to Louis XVIII. On January 24, 1815, he left Paris for Vienna, and was attending the Congress there as the Plenipotentiary of Great Britain, when Bonaparte landed in France, and again took possessirm of the Government. He found the nation, so wretched had been the policy of the untaught Bourbons, willing to receive him, and he soon called all its vast resources into action in order to defend his Throne against assailing Europe. The Duke of Wellington hastened from Vienna to take command of the Allied forces in the Netherlands, and arrived at Brussels early in April. In two months from that time, on the 18th of June, was fought the me morable battle of Waterloo, which crowned a long life of victories (seventy) with the greatest and most important victory that Wellington, or perhaps any General, ever achieved. It was worthy to be the last, for no greater victory could he ever gain, and over no more celo brated warrior than Napoleon could be ever hope to triumph. In the course of his career Wellington had successively encountered and defeated a great number of Bonnparte's Mat. ahals—Victor, Junot, Marmont, Massena, Ney, Soult—but he had never before met the Emperor himself in battle. That glorious victory terminated the military career of both these eminent men • but Napoleon it despoiled of an empire; Wellington it compelled to seek other and peaceful glories, for there was no longer an antagonist alive worthy of his sword. He had conquered the greatest military chief of the day, and stood thenceforward with. out an equal in the world. The great importance of this battle, con. strained as we have been to pass over very slightly all the previous great battles which the Duke won, induces us to give a brief sketch of the forces and position of the contending parties. The Duke of Wellington's forces consisted of about 33,000 English troops, but only a part o f them were the veteran soldiers who served with him in the Peninsula. A large part of the flower of those troops had been despatched on an ex pedition against the United States, and Wel. lington's army was composed of second battal lions and recruits. He had under him upwards of fifteen thousand Hanoverians, besides the ce lebrated German Legion, eight thousand strong, which had so much distinguished itself in the Peninsula. The gallant Duke of Brunswick "commanded under him five thousand of his own subjects ; and the Prince of Orange was at the head of a division eighteen thousand strong, con sisting of Belgians, Dutch, and Nassauese. On all these mixed and apparently heterogeneous masses the most perfect reliance was placed, except on the Belgians, who had belonged to the French empire, and whose fidelity was con. sidered doubtful. They deserted their Dutch Sovereign ; they were mistrusted by their ow n commander ; and Bonaparte calculated on their assisting him. On the whole, the forces, under the immediate command of Wellington, amounted to about eighty thousand men. His army was organised into two large corps of five divisions each—one commanded by the Prince of Orange, the other by Lord Hill. At the head of the cavalry was Lord Uxbridge, now the Marquis of Anglesey ; General Picton commanded the reserve. His head quartet s were at Brussels, his right leaning as it were on the ocean, and communicating with England ; while his left was in communication with the right of the Prussian army, which extended its left towards the Rhine, and so acted on a line of operations which communicated with Berlin. The Prussians, who thus formed the left of the line of the Allies, mustered 100,000 soldiers, and were commanded by Marshal Blucher, with Generals Ziethen, Bulow, and Thielman, each of whom commanded one of the corps into which the army was divided. In this enumeration nothing strikes us so much as the comparative small number of English engaged in a battle of which we are wont to claim all the honour. Next to that, our attelition is arrested by the different nations of' which the army was com. posed, while that of France wasone homogenentis mass all put in motion by one mighty genius— a striking difference which enhanced the merit of the victor. We ought not however to forrct that, on the side of the French, there were some desertions, and many doubts of fidelity. It is, indeed, difficult to believe that the fail, re of Bonipartc's last charge—the panic amt,rg hi a old Guards—was not the offspring of treacl,ery. The French army, concentrated it, three large divisions on the frontier, towards the midd'e of June, was estimated at 130,000 men. .It lad s field artillery of 350 pieces. Marshal Soult was Major-General or Commander-in-Chief undct- Bonaparte. Ney commanded the centre; J, romp Bonaparte the left; Marshal Grouchy the t ight. On June the 14th, Bonaparte addressee order of the day to his soldiers, reminding then! that that was the anniversary of Marengo and Friedland, and on the 15th at break of day 11:8 whole army was in mo tion. His object was to advance on Brussels—the object of the Allies to prevent him. His plan so far had been clearly anticipated, 'and the means of defence had been organized' on that supposition.' Still he appears to have taunt tho English somewhat by surprise,•and his'advanco was announced 'while all the officf.rs were assem bled at a ball given at,Brussels by the : Duchess of Richmond. • Although . the Generals stole away quietly to put .tle troops in motion, so that the ladies might ,not be rudely . sh . ocked, field y t n w t b e e r i e r ' fi sTre les ez t s iv o e f bal many ball-dress, re f s s t , I . ' e andoffi. e m e r e s t w t ! e 'e n i t r to f a t t e h e a s fie 't ( a l r a r n a c y e e . d t A o t meet one iii thei r m partners orni ng i t n h e Brussels were filled with 'all the clan - lour of a marching army; and the'halls; then 'thronged with lively dancers, were in a few hours aler wardi filled with the wounded atAl the dying. In the first instance Bonaparte directed his attack against the Prussians: and on the 15th beat them out of Charleroi, which he occupied that night as his head7tparters. , At .the same time, Ney was pressing on towards Brussels till stopped by the English at Quartre Bras. There a long and a severe contest ensued. Na poleon in person on the following day assailed Blucher at Ligny,. and after a contest, which lasted the whole day,' succeeded in defeati ,, g him, with the loss of upwards of 20,000 men, a d some field artillery,--he compelling Bluche r to retreat, who admitted that he lost the day, but fought so well that he saved his hot - limy. On the side of the English the issue of tae contest on the 15th was somewhat dif ferent, It was principally with Ney, and chiefly